Klemens von Klemperer Livres

The account of the author's life, spent between Europe and America, is at the same time an account of his generation, one that came of age between the two World Wars. Recalling not only circumstances of his own situation but that of his friends, the author shows how this generation faced a reality that seemed fragmented, and in their shared thirst for knowledge and commitment to ideas they searched for cohesiveness among the glittering, holistic ideologies and movements of the twenties and thirties. The author's scholarly work on the German Resistance to Hitler revealed to him those who maintained dignity and courage in times of peril and despair, which became for him a life's pursuit. This work is unique in its thorough inclusion of the postwar decades and its perspective from a historian eager to rescue the "other" Germany — the Germany of the righteous rather than the Holocaust murderers.

The author's life narrative intertwines personal experiences with the broader struggles of his generation, shaped by the turbulence of the interwar period. Through reflections on his and his friends' journeys, he explores the quest for meaning amid fragmented realities, driven by a thirst for knowledge and commitment to ideals. His scholarly focus on the German Resistance to Hitler highlights figures of dignity and courage during dark times, aiming to shed light on the "other" Germany—the one characterized by righteousness amid the horrors of the Holocaust.

This text provides insights into German thought and society in the context of the challenges of modernity in the first half of the 20th century. The author looks at the tensions between a realistic acceptance of disenchantment with the modern world, and an insistence upon re-enchantment.

However, Professor von Klemperer shows that many of the principles and strategies of the Widerstand had distinct moral and historical consequences when considered in their context. This context includes changes in the nature of international diplomacy which became evident in the resisters' contacts with the churches, the international intelligence community, and the Resistance movements outside Germany.

Tato kniha je o mužích, kteří představovali druhé" Německo. Mělo vzniknout po odstranění Hitlera a jeho režimu. Plánů na to bylo vymyšleno několik, pokusy o realizaci však vždy ustrnuly nebo se nepovedly. Nevyšel ani nejpřipravenější, započatý atentátem na Hitlera 20. července 1944. K němu se především vážou osudy lidí z tohoto souboru portrétů. Rozhodli se pro odboj v různém čase, neměli k němu ani shodné motivy, nestejně si představovali i protihitlerovské Německo, ale rozhodli se. A to z nich učinilo skutečné osobnosti. Za Německo!" - těmito prostými slovy zodpověděl 7. srpna 1944 generálmajor Helmuth Stieff otázku prezidenta Lidového soudního dvora Rolanda Freislera po motivu odporu...

Klemens von Klemperer (1916 – 2012) war ein Widerstandshistoriker aus der Er­lebnisgeneration. Nach dem Pogrom im November 1938 floh er in die USA; später half der Emigrant als amerikanischer Soldat, seine Heimat vom Nationalsozialismus zu befreien. Danach studierte er Geschichte an der Harvard-Universität und lehrte vier Jahrzehnte am Smith College in Massachusetts. Mit seiner Heimat versöhnte ihn der deutsche Widerstand gegen den National­sozialismus, der sein Forschungsschwerpunkt wurde. Unter den Historikern in den USA verkörperte er eine der wenigen Stimmen, die ihm einen ehrenvollen Platz im europäischen Kampf für die Menschenrechte einräumten. Dreißig Jahre lang bestimmte Klemperer die deutsche Widerstandsdiskussion mit. Er baute Brücken zwischen kontroversen Positionen, erkannte die Kritik an den Irrwegen vieler Männer des 20. Juli als berechtigt an, forderte aber die Anerkennung ihrer Bewährung in einer existentiellen Entscheidungssituation. Er würdigte die »einsamen Zeugen«, die auf »ungeebneten Wegen« in den Widerstand fanden in einem Land, wo ihnen keine Naturrechtstradition gegen den Obrigkeitsstaat zur Seite stand.